RRS 'Discovery' -Feedback

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At this morning's count some 650 hits have been registered on my blog. A modest number compared with some I admit but what intrigues me is that absolutely no comments have been registered. I wonder why? Anyone out there who might provide an answer would be welcome.

 

My server is provided by TT. Net since I live for most of the year in Fethiye, Turkey and I have noticed that from time to time some items on my BT homepage are unobtainable here. Perhaps the lack of comments may have something to do with that?

St Pauls Cathredral, London

Antarctic Centenary Celebration 29th March 2012

Given that I have been writing about the RRS 'Discovery' and the Antarctic for the past few months, I thought that readers wouldlike to know that I received an invitation to attend the above event along with members of Dundee Heritage Trust, which I did and fely very privilaged to be there among the wide range of people who gathered to Celebrate the Centenary of the British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition 1910 - 1913 led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott CVO RN.

 

The atmosphere within the cathredral was sombre and those who spoke in the near hour long ceremony told of the heroics of the small band of men led by Scott who bravely took part in the Expedition. Scott and his colleagues did make it to the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen had got there before them. The return journey from the pole proved to be a step too far for Scott and his men, Dr Adrian Wilson, Captain Laurence Edward Oates, Lieutenant Henry Robertson Bowers and Petty Officer Edgar Evans who all perished on that fateful return journey during February and March 1912.

 

The service began in the presence of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and throughout at their allotted times, contributions were made by Sir David Attenborough; Falcon Scott, Grandson of Captain Robert Falcon Scott; Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, The First Sea Lord; Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who read the second lesson; Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge; Dr David Wilson, a Great Nephew of Dr Edward Wilson; Alderman Jeffery Evans, a grandson of Lieutenant Evans and Philippa Foster Black, Chairman of UKAHT.

 

For me the most moving moment was when Sir David Attenborough read the Commemoration, which was the last letter Scott wrote before he died and I record his words here:

 

'We arrived within 11 miles of our One Ton Camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. For four days we have been unable to leave the tent - the gale howling about us. We are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. But if we had been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, I appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for'.

 

The RRS 'Discovery' and my involvement with that ship for many years was vividly brought back as I sat within the vastness that is St Pauls Cathredral among the Great and the Good. I have already written about the hardships endured by the men of the Discovery between 1901 and 1904 when Robert Falcon Scott led that Expedition and was Captain of the ship. Those hardships pale into nothing when one sits and vainly tries to imagine what Scott and his men suffered in those last days in the tent. Explorers were special people back then and it is right that they be remembered now more than 100 years later. Arctic and Antarctic explorers of today have the advantage of modern technology, modern logistics and comforts beyond the wildest dreams of those early men who first ventured forth to provide the world with further information about this, our own planet. Scott was not the last of that group of men who ventured into the Antarctic between 1901 and 1904 to die. Earnest Shackleton too died leading his Expedition in the Antarctic on the 5th of January 1922 of a heart attack in South Georgia. He had been Third Officer on board the Discovery over 20 years earlier.

 

It would appear that I am ending my story of the RRS 'Discovery' on a down-beat note. Nothing could be further from the truth because the ship lives on and her successors continued the work she started. The Scott Polar Research Institute is located in Cambridge, England and its web site is well worth a visit where one can linkin to those who continue the work in the Antarctic Continent. www.spri.cam.ac.uk

 

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery' Part 23.

Before and After

 

 

It is always good to look back at what the conditions were like on board Discovery before the Project started in 2007 but it is far more rewarding to recall what was achieved in the two years since that year. This story would be incomplete if it did not recognise the amount of effort that the Main Contractor, Mackay Boatbuilders, Arbroath, Scotland, put into the Project. Harry Simpson, his son Paul and their employees have a background of running their boatyard in Arbroath to cater for a wide variety of marine customers. Their day to day work involves fishing boats, specialised boats, pleasure craft, canal craft, yachts and restoration work and much more. Their services are in demand, not only in Scotland but throughout the United Kingdom and they frequently travel far distances to satisfy their customer's needs. The marine work brings boats from all over to their yard, such is their reputation but the Discovery Project was special, special because both Harry and Paul had a long association with the ship and it had become almost one of the family. The skills required to restore historical wooden ships will never be lost entirely so long as MacKay Boat Builders operate in Arbroath and I hope that those who may read these words will visit its website www.mackayboatbuilders.co.uk and learn a little more about the company.

 

 

MacKay's Boatyard. Arbroath, Scotland.

 

 

I am nearing the end of this particular story of the Discovery and I thought it was about time the difference of two years of hard work and dedication can make to a grand old ship when all involved are working towards the one goal, conservation. The delight reflected on the visitor's faces when they viewed the newly enhanced spaces was all the reward that was necessary to those who had been involved. Here are a few before and after photographs that show what can be done on a limited budget and unlimited enthusiasm.

 

 

  Engine Room Before

Engine Room After



 

 Coal Bunker Before

Coal Bunker After

 

 

 Hold Space Before

Hold Space After

 

 

 Hull Before

Hull After

 

 

I have many more pictures on file as a reminder of how the Old Girl was returned to a happy state. Discovery today remains a star attraction on Dundee's Waterfront but it is what goes on behind the scenes that really matters. The conservation and restoration of the ship did not end on the day the Project ended, it will never end. It is a huge burden that Dundee Heritage Trust carries and will always carry so long as the ship remains in its custody. In these hard financial times it is far from easy to persuade the public to give generously to protect our Maritime Heritage. The ship needs the support of Discovery Point Antarctic Museum and the museum needs the ship; both have to survive and remain attractive to visitors. The Trust's turnover is over £1m per annum and in future it will need to generate much more than that to maintain interest in its assets.

 

Speaking of assets, how much is the RRS 'Discovery' worth? She is in the top list of Historical Ships and as such her worth cannot be set out in money terms. Her worth is in the value she gives to the community, be that community Local, National or International, she is a priceless asset and one that must be conserved for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

 

In these 23 parts I have written I hope I have created an interest in Historic Ship Conservation and Restoration. The feedback I have had has been positive and encouraging and made my efforts worthwhile. That is not quite the end of the story, my story that is, not the Discovery's as that will never end. There are rewards that come to people like me who get involved in history and my particular reward came earlier this year. I will tell you about that in my next article.



The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 22.

Education and Involvement

During the planning stages of the Project it was decided early that the ship could not be closed to visitors at any time. The obvious reason for this was, of course, that revenues still had to be generated to ensure the survival, not only of the ship but the whole Discovery Point experience. Such a long and involved Project had to be planned then with the safety of the visiting public very much in mind and could not be looked upon in any negative sense whatsoever. Such a Project should be turned to the advantage of Discovery Point complex and never to its disadvantage. That is just what happened!

Free dry-dock tours were arranged after working hours; free illustrated lectures on the progress of the Project were given in the evenings; the ship guides were given a quarterly briefing on how to inform the visitors of what was exactly taking pace. The media were kept well informed and television stations were most useful in publicising the work being done. Tales about the fabled 'Dundee Leak' were retold. The 'Black Pudding Mix' got its fair share ofcoverage. All this and more added to the excitement of seeing parts of the ship never seen before by the visiting public. Here it has to be recorded that the staff at Discovery Point, the crew of the ship, the Main Contractor and many others gave of their time in the evenings to help keep the on-going story of the Discovery alive.

I had the good fortune to conduct the dry-dock tours and give lectures. It was wonderful to pass on information of times gone by to every age group. Dundee Heritage Trust formed its 'Junior Board' some years before in order to listen and act upon the views expressed by the younger generation. They were among the groups who participated in the dry-dock tours and their interest was very humbling to me, their enthusiasm could be seen and felt as the following pictures show.

The Junior Board ready for the tour

Explaining how the planks are fastened

Its very big!!

Dwarfed by the rudder

Adults from all walks of life took advantage of walking in the dry-dock around the Discovery, many questions were asked and it stretched my knowledge somewhat to provide the correct answers. It was the observations feedback that became truely interesting. The bottom strake of Greenheart sheathing became more than just a piece of timber. It was fashioned out of lengths of over 50 feet (>15m). Given that this timber is near indestructable, how was it shaped? What tools were used? How heavy was each plank? Most of all was the admiration felt for those who had constructed such a fine ship in a shipyard just over 500 yards (500m) away from where they stood.

The following pictures reflect the interest of the adult groups. Perhaps a point to note is that the weather in Dundee at the time of the tours was very kind and added to the experience.

All attention! Tour begins.

Eyes up! Look at that bow!

Explaining the finer detail.

Eyes up again! This time at the other end.

A question answered.

During the latter part of 2008 into the first three months of 2009, work was focussed on the interior of the ship especially in terms of providing as much educational information as possible without confusing the visitor. The Director of Discovery Point and her staff worked hard in the planning and design of new ideas to arouse the quriosity of all those who might visit the ship in future. Take the engine-room for example; obviously the engine had long since gone but a replica of the upper cylinders had been built during past restoration on the main deck level so a small viewing window at that level was installed to allow the concept of depth of the whole engine-room to be visualised.



A window to down below





Down in the starboard coal bunker a window in the deck allowed the visitor to see the pig-iron ballast ingots stowed in the bilge spaces below.

The pig-iron ingots lit up for a better view.

The above are just a flavour of the changes that were made and the next part of the story will provide more of the innovative methods that were used to make a visit to the ship much more attractive.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 21.

Waste Water Ancient and Modern

I left off in the last part about to tackle the waste water issue on board the ship and perhaps I had better give a broader description of it before we started improvements. To start with the system had no historical value whatsoever. The original included 'heads' (a water closet) situated near the stern and another in the forecastle, both crude arrangements that discharged the waste directly overboard. Equally the galley, officer's cabin wash basins, bilge water and bath waste were discharged directly into the sea. That as fine between 1924 and to about perhaps 1946, although I cannot provide an exact date when changes happened; I suspect it was deemed less important than other matters concerning the day to day survival of the Discovery after 1932. Anyway, what we inherited was what had been installed over the past years. The discharge pipe from every bilge pump location was led to the pump-room and thence to an intermediate holding tank (mentioned in the last part of this story). The galley, officers and bathroom discharges had all been blanked off, in fact the bath had been removed a long time before. In order to provide kitchen, wash up and storage facilities to support the various revenue generating functions held on board, cabins on the port side forward of the wardroom had been converted to serve that purpose. Wastes  emanating from there were discharged directly into the intermediate holding tank in the pump-room. This in turn, when the level of waste water reached a predetermined level, was automatically pumped into the main discharge tank located forward in the chain locker mentioned earlier. Toilets and wash facilities were situated on the port side of the upper forecastle deck, the latter discharged directly into the main holding tank in the chain locker compartment far below. This tank had a fairly large capacity with a back up overflow arrangement and the capability of discharging the waste into the shore-side sewers automatically when the level of liquid triggered the discharge pump within the tank itself.

A mess of pipes in the corner of the pump-room.

Bilge pump discharge pipes from the starboard side of the ship in the pump-room

Bilge pump discharge pipes from the port side of the ship in the pump-room

It was financially impossible to install a completely new system. What we had to do was modify the old one and this we did by designing a new intermediate holding tank for the pump-room. It had to be made of stainless steel; completely sealed from the surrounding space and have a sealed automatic pump situated outside in order to discharge the waste water accumulated into the main holding tank in the chain locker forward. Having the pump located outside of the tank made maintenance much easier.

The new stainless steel intermediate holding tank installed in the pump-room.

New discharge pump and filter unit installed in the pump-room.

Next, the main holding tank in the chain locker was opened up, thoroughly cleaned and given a suitable protective coating both inside and out. In order to discharge the waste to the shore system the pump remained fitted to the interior of the main tank but was overhauled. It had the ability to break down the waste into solid particles of mot more than 10mm in diameter. At some time in the past a stench pipe (a pipe that allows the tank to ventilate gasses created by fermentation to air) had been fitted from the tank up through the forecastle decks then up the foremast where the gasses were vented to air. While investigating this fitting it was found that the gasses were being vented into the upper forecastle work space since the pipe up the foremast had been disconnected and destroyed in times past. Little wonder the crew had complained on occasions of a nasty smell in their work place! That was fixed and again gasses were vented to outside air space. So that the reader may be comforted, the amount of gas (mainly Methane) ventilated was very small indeed and when mixed with air it would become virtually undetectable.

The newly renovated overflow tank in the chain locker.

The newly renovated main holding tank in the chain locker

What was accomplished at the end of the day was that Discovery had an efficient, working, waste water system in place, one that would last for a long time to come provided it was maintained regularly.

Next. Education and Involvement.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 20.

Restoring the Sharp End

References to the bow and stern of a ship to the landlubber simply mean 'the front end' and 'the back end'. Why not? That is how understanding is and forever will be! Spare a thought for those of us that were weaned on the language of the sea. The bow is the bow, not 'the front end', the stern is the stern not 'the back end'. Port is 'left' and Starboard 'right', except to my American friends who prefer right and left in their usual fashion of being always nearly right!! Oops! Diplomacy has never been my strong side. The deck is the deck, not the 'floor'; the deckhead is the 'ceiling'; the 'ceiling' is the inner hull planks of a ship. Confused? Good! I could confuse you more but I will leave that until later.

The 'sharp end' is a universal term that is well understood for the bow of a ship and it is there we turn our attention to next in this story of the Discovery. The forecastle head is a structure that rises above the upper deck of a ship at it's forward end (now I'm really stretching your mind!). Generally in old sailing ships its length was about one sixth of the total ship's length from forward. Its function was threefold; to provide reserve buoyancy; to shelter machinery and equipment; to provide accommodation. The latter two are easily understood but the former deserves a short explanation.

Reserve buoyancy is that volume of the watertight outer hull above the waterline when a ship is afloat; or, put in its simplest terms, it is the buoyancy that the ship has in reserve. Add forecastle accommodation to the natural hull above the waterline then that reserve buoyancy is increased. There is a fourth reason, one that soon becomes obvious in heavy seas when a ship is pitching into a large wave. If a forecastle structure was not present then it is possible that the bow would plunge into the wave deep enough to allow solid water to be shipped over the foredeck (the forward end of the ship). Add a forecastle then the ship has to plunge deeper into the wave before solid water is shipped over the foredeck.; added to this is the increased downward pressure exerted upon the wave by the reserve buoyancy provided by the forecastle, forcing the bow back upwards. There is more but this story is not a lesson in ship stability. Our focus was the main support beam in the forecastle that had suffered severe degradation.

Looks not too bad from the outside.

Inside is a different story.

Decay obvious.

Gets worse!

Removing original.

Removal nearly completed.

Ready for replacement.

The beam had to be replaced, there was no doubt about that. Opepe timber again would be used but to restore the beam using a single length of timber meant substantial interference into the original structure. That was not acceptable since it meant lifting an area of the forecastle deck, disturbing the fittings of the foremast and interfering unduly in the structure of the main aft bulkhead (the main end wall of the forecastle). The removal of the old beam did not present many difficulties and it allowed us to assess how best to make good the restoration. It was decided that the new beam could be constructed in two lengths using the original plans available, each formed exactly to the contours of the original. In order to leave all of the original fittings of the structure untouched the first section of the beam would be inserted on the port (left) side. after securing that section in place the second section would be inserted from the starboard (right) side, married to the first piece and finally secured. The following sequence of photographs show how that was achieved.

The port side section of the beam in place

Securing the new section inside.

The delicate operation of fitting the starboard section
 of the beam to scarf into the new port section.

Just a touch more please!

Done!

The work on deck that ad been planned to take place during the better weather months of a Scottish year went well and the results were pleasing. Below decks new and unobtrusive methods of telling the story of the ship were being evolved and put in place and those changes will be recorded here in a later part of this series. In the meantime the more unseen but no less important matters were being attended to, such as what to do with the waste water that accumulated from sources within the ship, such as the kitchen, galley, toilets, bilges and the like. The ship had been used, and with the improvements made would be put to much greater use, to host revenue generating events such as weddings ( a change in legislation now allowed for wedding ceremonies to be conducted on board), meetings, lunch parties, cocktail parties and dinners served in a unique historic setting, the Wardroom.

On the surface all of this may seem like good news. It is! However, the health and safety of the guests and visitors had to be given the highest priority and it was this that gave us another challenge. Toilets had to be clean and able to discharge waste to suitable holding tanks. When meals or snacks were served, plates and utensils had to be washed; the latter being the source of fatty liquid deposits that needed to be collected, contained and treated before being pumped into a final holding tank on board. When the waste water in this final holding tank reached a predetermined level, it was automatically pumped ashore into the City's wast water system. When the Project started in 2007 it was known that the waster water systems on board the Discovery had become unfit for purpose. The following pictures tell their own story.

An open intermediate holding tank open to air.

The interior of the same tank showing the pump.
Fatty deposits collecting on the surface of the water and ferment.

Horrible! You might say. You would be right, it wasn't very nice but at least the pump room where it was situated was sealed off from the main inboard spaces so the noxious odours could be contained within that space and allowed to vent slowly to air.

What did we do to bring the system up to a suitable standard is another story, one that will be told in the next part of this insight into the restoration and conservation of historic wooden ships. Discovery is not a typical example, she is a unique example!

The Royal Research Shp 'Discovery'. Part 19.

Camouflage and Cunning

The conservation and restoration of historic ships is a costly undertaking. Money is always scarce and this leads inevitably to money-saving methods being introduced which camouflage the real conditions underneath. Such was the case when the Oak beam at the forward end of the main deck in the crew's quarters was examined. This beam, historically, was of great importance since into it was carved the ship's Official Number and Net Registered Tonnage. The official registration of ships came into being many years before Discovery was built but it was probably the Merchant Shipping Act of 1854 in the United Kingdom that formed the basis of ship registration as we know it today. By looking up the Official Number in the Register one can find the detail of the ship; its name; where it was built; who built it; who owned it, etc., etc. The Net Registered Tonnage was a measurement, not a weight. That may seem confusing but it was arrived at after calculating how many cubic feet made up the spaces available for the carriage of passengers and cargo. In other words the earning spaces as it referred to a merchant ship. The total space in cubic feet was then divided by 40 and the result was the measured net tonnage of the ship (40 cu. ft. = 1 ton). This information was used for all sorts of purposes, port charges are a typical example.

The beam was therefore of great historical significance and the pictures below show the condition it was found to be in during our examination.

Surface of beam belies what is underneath

Hints of trouble

It gets worse!

Digging out

Total decay

Not a pretty sight!

Truth revealed.

Fibreglass packing from inside of beam.

At some time in the past fresh water had been allowed to slowly penetrate the timber and, gradually, it decayed to the state we found it to be in. But wait! Evidence collected showed that someone had found the problem before we did. That someone may well have wanted to cure the ill but could not afford to do so. That well-meaning person decided to rout out what decay he could, pack the voids with fibreglass with a filling compound then pass it off as original. Cunning eh!

What at first seemed to be a straightforward restoration job became a major one. To remove the whole beam that contained some sound timber would have amounted to vandalism. So the beam was cropped (cut) until rot was no longer obvious, then, we cut it about three feet into the sound wood where the decay spores had not yet travelled and scarfed (set in) a new, accurately fashioned, replacement piece of Opepe (a hardwood from West Africa, more durable and cheaper than Oak). The finished article proved to be very satisfactory.

Fully restored - a good job done!

While I'm on the subject of Opepe timber it gives me the opportunity to introduce another subject that dominates the restoration of historic wooden ships and that is timber conservation in its wider sense. Always the ideal in restoration is replace like with like; however, if what needs to be restored or replaced is timber that is known to be scarce with future supplies considered as unsustainable, then we must do what we can to protect that species. This is where advice from known experts such as TRADA in the United Kingdom come in handy in recommending alternatives. Opepe is considered an alternative to Teak and other hard woods since supplies are generally farmed and sustainable. It is now widely used in wooden ship restoration but is not a low-cost alternative. The price is lower than that of Teak but not dramatically so; although it does satisfy our continuing need to protect the other timbers considered to be at risk.

One of our ultimate goals was to ensure the upper decks were watertight.There are many modern sealants on the market that may well be tried and tested but our task was to keep as close to the original methods as possible. The age old method of routing out all of the Marine Glue (a mixture of Bitumen and Tar), the Oakum caulking and the layer of  Cotton that formed the watertight barrier between the seams of the deck planks was started. Caulking is a Shipwright's skill and in the United Kingdom, a dying one. I was fortunate that our main contractor was one of the few who had retained the skills and it was interesting to watch them at work. The tools they used were mainly original; a caulking mallet; caulking chisels; cotton twine; oakum; original Marine Glue that came in cans that had to be sliced open to release the solid material within; sharp hammers to break up the solid glue; a glue ladle and heat in the form of a bottled gas burner. First a strand of dry cotton twine was hammered into the bottom of the cleaned seam; a layer of oakum (twisted tarred Hemp) followed to be compressed down into the seam. Then came the tricky bit! A canister was partly filled with fragments of the solid marine glue, placed over the gas burner until the solid became liquid. This hot liquid was poured into the ladle to be carefully run into the seam until the level was just below the surface of the plank. In the act of pouring, the liquid becomes slightly aerated, as it cools in the seam small bubbles of air rise to the top to leave a solid mass beneath. Now is the time to pour a thin final coat of the glue, let it harden then scrape off the surplus that protrudes above the level of the plank. Hey presto! The seam is watertight and will remain that way for some time if the deck is provided with proper interim care. This involves regular washing with salt water, sometimes with a very fine sand mix that can find its way into cracks in any seam that may have deteriorated slightly, thereby providing a further barrier to the ingress of fresh water. If it is known that the salt water used may contain some nitrates from the runoff from agriculture lands or elsewhere, it is advisable to include a diluted fungicide in the salt water. This prevents green algae growth on the deck where there is little or no traffic.

Shipwright caulking.

Solid sealant fragments before heating.

Heated ready for use.

Ladle ready to fill.

The art of pouring.

Finishing.

And finished.

The bad news is that the marine glue sealant will not last forever. It has an enemy that we ordinary mortals look upon as a friend. The sun! That glowing orb in the sky that rises in the East and sets in the West every day of our lives. That shining globe provides warmth and comfort, pleasure and sunburn, ripens crops to provide our everyday nutritional needs, but it has a sting in its tail in so far as our deck sealant is concerned. That sting comes in the form of rays. Ultra-violet rays that will, in time, break down the chemical compounds of marine glue causing it to crack and eventually reducing it to a powder. This may take five to ten years but will happen no matter what precautions are taken. Take none and you get a five year life; take some and you may extend the life of the sealant to ten years at most. The bottom line is that in order to keep the decks watertight, a section of the deck plank seals should be routed out and resealed during the fourth year after the whole deck had been sealed. Further sections should be renewed annually during subsequent years until a rolling deck maintenance plan has been established. Only by doing this will fresh water be unable to leak into the inner hull, with the added bonus that annual maintenance costs can be kept to a minimum.

That's enough for this part; next we tackle the restoration of the main support beam in the forecastle at the bow of the ship.